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This chapter focusses on the importance of using technology in tourism. This chapter also comprehensively highlights technologies that are impacting the tourism industry as well as the constraints the industry is facing. Many research studies have been conducted which outline the contributions and importance of technology in tourism in general. In recent years, various research studies, ranging from tourism management to geography, have increasingly explored the opportunities to use cutting-edge information and communication technologies (ICTs), implemented at different scales, in order to improve tourists’ experiences. Among several technology-driven solutions, augmented reality (AR) is usually regarded as a useful tool for tourism. AR has become an area of significant interest and investment in recent times. The present study focusses on case studies where AR-based smart tourism applications have been developed. In tourist destinations, visitors exhibit a great interest in learning while travelling. Curiosity plays a significant role for visitors buying trips for their families and they are willing to pay slightly more for a unique experience. The findings offer several contributions to the literature by providing new theoretical insights into the intersection of AR and tourism in Italian heritage sites, especially in Sicily.

Several tourism destinations are using social media (SM) marketing more than traditional marketing in the developed countries. The increasing use of technology has replaced the role of travel intermediary. Most of the travellers in developed countries are no longer using travel agencies for their services. Many bookings are done online using electronic devices either at office or home. It is, therefore, a fact that SM has come to stay. However, the situation is contrary to some developing countries due to several reasons; for example, unreliable source of energy, communication, poor infrastructure and lack of competition. Most of developing countries depend on tourists from developed nations to consume their tourism destination products. Moreover, the modern travellers are no longer travelling in the dark. They want to have prior knowledge about their destinations. They check online product offerings, certification and destination labels. A modern tourist is becoming a more responsible traveller. SM plays a big role by providing information about many tourism destinations. Nevertheless, there are ongoing debates regarding the usefulness, future and survival of traditional travel agents despite the fact that there are threats from online travel agents and the increasing use of SM. This chapter is a case study of Malawi as a tourist destination. It critically discusses and analyses the impact of SM as a marketing tool. It also analyses the benefits and challenges of the travel agents, and finally confirms that there is a need to embrace technological change in travel and tourism industry in the developing nations.

This study examines how brand‐ and country‐related intangible assets influence the market shares of brands and their marketing effectiveness (particularly price effectiveness). Using the case of the small car segment, seems to provide some interesting implications for brand management in global markets where the intangible assets associated with brand and country names are important. Found that a country name (e.g. Japanese name) produces positive value to brands originating from particular countries. Documents that long‐term popularity positively influences brands′ short‐term market shares and marketing effectiveness. Also discovers that a brand can generate positive brand‐specific assets, i.e. brand popularity, without a positive country name equity. Discusses managerial implications and recommendations, within the context of global competition.

Creating memorable tourism experiences (MTE) is vital to obtain sustained tourism visits. In the digital era, infusions of various digital technologies in tourism services without admitting tourist emotions could jeopardize the experience. Drawing from a Service-Dominant Logic (S-DL) perspective, this study explains the complexity of digital tourism experience in the service system view, highlighting the importance of emotions as resources. It is composed of actors' orchestrations, connected by shared emotions, and enabled by sensory stimuli facilitated by the digital tourism ecosystem throughout the tourism journey. This study proposes a Memorable Digital Tourism Experience (MDTE) framework by identifying the focal actors, recognizing the emotions, and determining the moderating role of sensory stimuli enabled by various novel technologies. At last, several agenda and practical guidelines are proposed on how to operationalize the framework and different methodologies to explore Memorable Digital Tourism Experience.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the metaverse platform in a social context to better understand the future of this tool in tourism cities and how this can help to improve the well-being of residents in both digital and physical scenarios.

In this paper, the current and probable developments in the metaverse, and its use in tourism cities and companies have been investigated. Moreover, this study develops, collects and examines the main metaverse definitions by expert authors and organizations as a methodology to ensure the transparency and credibility of the metaverse analysis.

Findings suggest that the fusion of the metaverse and tourism cities must create residents’ services and experiences in the new MetaTourPolis to help interact and connect citizens with the city’s institutions and companies, as well as make tourism cities more attractive, innovative, environmentally friendly and healthier places to live. Metaverse will bring new changes for residents and tourists, in fact, this virtual platform is already changing and improving the residents’ quality of life and people with disabilities in tourism cities. For instance, the metaverse platform has been implemented in Seoul, Santa Monica and Dubai MetaTourPolis to interact with their residents, including people with disabilities, to resolve bureaucratic and administrative problems, avoiding this group and the rest of the residents travelling by bus or car to the city’s institutions. In addition, several metaverse applications based on softbot tutors or metaverse virtual social centres have been developed to improve blind and impaired people, and elderly people’ quality of life, respectively.

A new concept called “MetaTourPolis” has been included to stage the relationship between tourism cities and the metaverse platform, where the fusion of metaverse and the new tourism polis of the 21st century will be at the service of citizens, tourists and companies, to create more sustainable, efficient, quantitative and environmental tourism cities.

Although the metaverse has gained popularity in recent days, research on metaverse tourism in urban destinations is still lacking. Drawing on existing cases in Chinese urban destinations, this paper aims to provide valuable insights into the development of metaverse tourism in China and provides managerial implications for future urbanmetaverse tourismplayers.

Literature from Chinese and international sources was reviewed to highlight the current status of metaverse tourism in the context of Chinese urban tourism. This paper also draws on information provided by online materials, especially the official websites of tour organizers and news media.

This paper outlines important aspects of metaverse in Chinese urban tourism. First, cities are the hotbeds of metaverse development, and the metaverse has become a new way to attract urban tourists and a significant element in various exhibitions. Second, the combination of metaverse with China’s extensive and profound traditional culture has made urban tourism full of vitality. Third, China’s game companies are progressively empowering the metaverse tourism industry.

This paper contributes to the existing knowledge on metaverse tourism based on the Chinese urban tourism context. Furthermore, it highlights the state of the metaverse in Chinese urban tourism during and after the pandemic situation. Lastly, it provides thoughtful implications for tourism players and future tourism development.

This paper aims to explore the impact of metaverse technology on the hospitality and tourism industry. The introduction of metaverse technology has revolutionised the way the hospitality and tourism industry works. In the present study, the authors have investigated the role of social media marketing in the adoption of metaverse technology in hotel booking in India.

An extended technology acceptance model was proposed for an empirical investigation in the Indian context. Sample of 344 respondents was collected across India using a purposive sampling technique for the purpose of data analysis. The structural model analysis is used to analyse the data collected from the respondents using the SmartPLS software to check the structural and the measurement fit of the model.

The adoption intentions were largely influenced by the utility, attitude (ATT) and ease of use of the technology, and social media marketing plays a major role in influencing the perceived usefulness (PU) and ease of use (PEU). The study finds positive ATTs of the customers for using metaverse technology for booking their hotels. PU and PEU significantly influence the ATT of the consumer indicating the traveller’s perception of the usefulness and ease of metaverse technology influence their ATTs towards adoption.

Influence of metaverse technology is at a nascent stage in India specifically for hotel booking and tourism. The authors have used discriminant validity by using the criteria for both the square root of the average variance extracted and heterotrait–monotrait ratio tests, and the results suggest that the constructs in the research are distinct from other.

Rapid development of IT and communication technologies resulted in the “Smart” concept, which of late has become quite popular. The smart concept signifies the integration of organizational networks and smart features that enrich the ecosystem, facilitate daily activities for all stakeholders, and for automatization. Smart concept was discussed as a complicated technological infrastructure in urban areas intended to promote economic, social and environmental welfare. The latest technological developments gave rise to the concepts of smart planet, smart city and smart destination that have become important in recent years. Technological innovations have had a big influence on the development of the tourism industry. Smart concept is conceptualized as smart tourism for tourism sector. Smart Tourism generally has a positive effect on the rapid change of information and technology and on the tourism sector, tourism activities and increase in customer satisfaction. In this chapter, the concept of Smart and its smart technologies are explained and information about its reflections on the tourism sector and smart tourism destinations are discussed.

Grounded on the value-based adoption model and innovation diffusion theory, this study examined consumer purchase decisions of mobile Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation apps. In addition, this study also investigated the moderating role that perceived availability of free substitutes (PAFS) plays in the relationship between perceived value and purchase intention. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Data collected from 219 mobile users were analyzed against the research model using the partial least squares approach.

The results showed that compatibility, relative advantage, perceived enjoyment, perceived cost (positively), and complexity (negatively) influenced these users’ value perceptions and purchase decisions. Furthermore, PAFS significantly weakened the positive relationship between perceived value and purchase intentions.

Based on these findings, the authors provide practical suggestions for mobile app developers to increase mobile app sales. This study also helps advance knowledge of mobile internet marketing.

This study is a pioneering effort in explaining consumer purchase intentions in the context of mobile GPS navigation app.